2 Taiwanese indicted over US$5.32 million 'romance scam' in U.S.

Taichung, May 14 (CNA) A woman surnamed Liao (廖) and a man surnamed Huang (黃) have been indicted for orchestrating a cross-border "romance scam" that defrauded three U.S. citizens of more than US$5.32 million, the Taichung District Prosecutors Office said Tuesday.

Prosecutors said in a press release that Liao, 36, led a fraud ring and recruited 39-year-old Huang to handle collection of illicit gains in 2023.

Liao allegedly used passports belonging to two unsuspecting individuals to open business accounts at U.S. banks, which were later used to receive funds from victims lured into fraudulent investments.

The victims were first romantically manipulated to invest small amounts before transferring larger sums via bank remittance or in-person handovers to U.S.-based accomplices Hsiao (肖) and Sun (孫) -- both U.S. citizens whose cases are being handled by U.S. authorities, prosecutors said.

The illicit funds were allegedly laundered by depositing them into accounts held by Liao's unsuspecting mother and by purchasing luxury items including a Swiss watch, an 8-carat diamond ring, Bitcoin and Tether cryptocurrencies, and a Lexus car.

Losses totaled US$5.32 million, around NT$170 million based on the exchange rate at the time, according to prosecutors.

Liao was arrested at Taoyuan International Airport on Jan. 24 after returning to Taiwan, based on evidence supplied by the U.S. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), which collaborated with the International Criminal Affairs Division (ICAD) of Taiwan's Criminal Investigation Bureau.

An HSI team visited the Taichung District Prosecutors Office in March under the Taiwan-U.S. agreement on mutual legal assistance in criminal matters to question suspects and exchange evidence, prosecutors said.

In April, prosecutors from Taichung and officials from ICAD traveled to Los Angeles and Nashville, where other members of the fraud ring were arrested and indicted, with support from the Taiwan High Prosecutors Office to coordinate with U.S. counterparts and conduct witness interviews.

Chang Fu-chun (張富鈞) of the Taichung District Prosecutors Office questioned Sun in Nashville, marking the first time since the legal assistance treaty was signed in March 2002 that a Taiwanese prosecutor traveled to the United States to directly question a witness on-site under the bilateral legal assistance framework, the office said.

Liao and Huang were indicted for multiple offenses including aggravated fraud and money laundering under Taiwan's Organized Crime Prevention Act, Money Laundering Control Act, Passport Act and Criminal Code.

Prosecutors are seeking a 10-year sentence for Liao and five years for Huang.

Seized assets were scheduled to be auctioned on Wednesday by the Taichung Branch of the Ministry of Justice's Administrative Enforcement Agency, with the proceeds to be returned to U.S. authorities under Taiwanese law.